


Cardinal to Crimson

by Reah22



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Kinda?, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, idk peeps I still hate tagging, in which Jason and Tim are idiots, it's definitely not happy though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 08:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20355346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reah22/pseuds/Reah22
Summary: Jason and Tim are soulmates. They know this. However, just because you're fated to be together, doesn't mean it's guaranteed to work out..





	Cardinal to Crimson

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm like a week late for this one but hey! It's here! And editing this quite honestly kicked my butt (teaches me to type on my phone -_-)
> 
> Quick note about this soulmate verse: soulmates are distinguished by matching tattoos, which typically take the form of animals. The colors will also line up, each color representing one soulmate

Jason’s red-on-red wolf sat right above his collarbone this morning, looking particularly spiteful. Ignoring the way that the mark glared at his reflection in the mirror, Jason finished shaving and turned away from the mirror abruptly, not wanting to meet the judging eyes. Still, the events of last night continued to run through his head.

~~*~~

Tim watched through smudged binocular lenses as a few costumed rogues hung around the docks, clearly arguing amongst themselves. It seemed the gathering was composed completely of C-and-D-list villains, such as Condiment King and Riddler. No real threat, but annoying enough that Tim had to deal with it in lieu of the police. 

A muffled sound (something heavy landing on the roof?) and a bit-back curse had Tim inwardly sighing. Of _course_ he jinxed it. 

“What in the goddam seventh hell are you doing here, Replacement?” Jason seemed to at least be making an effort to keep his voice down, but even so Tim thought he saw a few of the figures down on the docks look up to where they stood. 

“Keep your damn voice down.” Tim hissed back to Jason, and the older man raised his hands appeasingly. 

“Okay, alright. I’m not here for a fight.” He stopped to reconsider, cocking his head in a way that Tim refused to think of as cute. “Okay, I kind of am, but not with you.”

“This is the part where you suggest we work together, right, and we work perfectly together like soulmates are supposed to do, right?”

Jason grumbled under his breath, shaking his head and turning around. “I… you know what? I’m sorry I disturbed you, and I’m sorry that we out of all people ended up being soulmates.” _Because we don’t stand a chance of ever working out._

“All I wanted was a soulmate that I would have a chance to live with, as stupid as it might sound.” Tim fired back. And instead I got you hung in the air, unspoken.

“I’m sorry about that, Tim.” _You deserve more than me. _“Sorry I crashed in.”

He was gone, vanished before Tim could say anything._ I’m sorry that you think I hate you._

~~*~~

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Jason muttered to himself as he double-checked the bandages on his left arm. After he left Tim last night, he hadn’t returned straight to his safehouse; instead, he had roamed around Gotham in a futile attempt to get the altercation with Tim out of his head. Naturally, Gotham had chosen that night to be as silent as the dead, and Jason had dragged himself back to his safehouse at four in the morning with little to show for it but a lucky hit that a random thug had landed on his forearm. Not to mention that he was still mulling over what had happened with Tim.

~~*~~

Logically, he knew he had to move on. There was no use in mulling over something that couldn’t be, and yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Nothing was going to come of it, of that he was certain. Tim definitely didn’t need pure deadweight as a soulmate, and even if they couldn’t change it, that didn’t mean Jason needed to be an active part of his life, nor vice-versa. They would only drag at each other, pull the other down.

At the base of his neck, the soulmate mark began to burn. Jason just gritted his teeth and ignored it. He had a life outside of this soulmate fiasco, dammit, and he’d be damned if he was going to spend any more time _moping _over some scrawny runt. Reaching out for a shirt and his phone, Jason pushed all remaining thoughts of Timothy Jackson Drake out of his head. 

~~*~~

“Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!” Tim ranted to himself, rethinking the events of last night. Why couldn’t he just say what he wanted to without putting his foot in his mouth entirely!

As much as he tried to convince himself, he didn’t hate Jason. Like he said, everything Jason had done before was under the influence of the Pit. Besides, there was nothing to be gained by holding grudges.

It was only… the other man clearly didn’t care for Tim. His every reaction and comment about him left no room for doubt. No matter what the tattoo currently emblazoned across his bicep might say. 

The wolf seemed to stare at him judgmentally, the darker red over it’s back shimmering in the dim light of Tim’s apartment. 

“I must really be out of it if I think my _soulmark_ is trying to talk to me now.” Maybe he had to reconsider exactly how long he stayed out at night, because he was clearly sleep deprived. 

Tearing his gaze away from the wolf, Tim dismissed it as his imagination. Still, the meeting with Jason last night didn’t stop running through his mind, all the different possibilities had he just _done something better._ Shaking his head, Tim went to hunt down his laptop and get some actual work done. What-ifs weren’t going to help him now.

~~*~~

The night was cold, with a threat of rain on the horizon. In a direct contrast to last night, Gotham’s underworld was out in full force. Jason and Tim had both been called in on a possible Joker threat, with the rest of the Gotham-based vigilantes ranged out fighting their own battles. The Joker himself was unaccounted for, but Scarecrow had also gotten loose and was running rampant around the city.

“We don’t have all night. Hurry up, Red, and get moving.” Jason was brisk, walking past Tim without making eye contact. 

“I’m coming. Hold your horses, Hood.”

Jason didn’t acknowledge Tim at all, instead getting on his bike and going to blow out of the Cave. Tim was left to scramble after him, silently cursing every lousy decision and slip of the tongue that had led them here.

He only ended up cursing them more as he stumbled into the Cave three hours later, Jason’s limp body across the motorcycle.

~~*~~

Surprisingly, the location Bruce had given them wasn’t quite as stereotypical as an old, abandoned warehouse. _Or the docks at night_. Still, Tim supposed that the roof of the GCPD was even more theatrical.

Beside him, Jason snorted dismissively.

“It’s just another trick by that damn clown. We’re on a wild goose chase, Red, and you know it. The damn clown is probably still sitting in Arkham, in his cell, laughing his ass off about his latest stint of tricking the Bat.”

Tim clenched his jaw, knowing Jason was watching him, judging his reaction. 

“Still. We have to check it out, Hood. Can you take the chance that the bastard is down there?”

Jason grumbled, but pulled one of his pistols and started for the GCPD. Tim pulled his bo and followed, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Jason seemed distracted, very different from his usual approach when it came to the Joker. Tim couldn’t help but be concerned, even if he knew that it was technically none of his business.

The way up to the roof was eerily uneventful. Most of the GCPD was out managing the crowds around Scarecrow’s targets, and to the staff left, this was just another day. It was kind of sickening, how Gotham reacted like this was everyday events.

Jason reached the roof a split second before Tim did, heedlessly throwing open the door and storming out on the roof. Tim dodged the door swinging back and reached out to grab Jason’s sleeve, alarmed by his recklessness.

“Ja-Hood! What if he was out on this roof?”

The red helmet obscuring Jason’s face did nothing to show Tim how the other vigilante was feeling. However, his body language was stiff and the hand clenched around his gun was shaking slightly.

“Guess he’d just kill me again, then, huh?” Jason snarled back at him. Tim stared back impassively, refusing to be intimidated by him. They didn’t move; each too stubborn to back down.

Then Tim caught sight of something in the corner of the roof, a purple and green package wedged against the slight lip of the floor. Almost instantly, he abandoned his standoff with Jason and cautiously headed over, all senses on high alert.

Inside the box was only a slip of paper, with one address written on it in spidery handwriting. Instantly, Jason seemed to snap into business mode, holstering his pistol and running for the edge of the roof. Tim didn’t hesitate either, matching the taller man step for step as they launched themselves over the side of the building while simultaneously reaching for their grapples. 

Tim wondered if that was what it was like to be in sync with one’s soulmate.

~~*~~ 

The address in the box led them to a respectable-looking apartment building. Respectable for Gotham, at least. The paint wasn’t peeling too badly, and the stairs only creaked when Tim and Jason climbed up, instead of outright breaking beneath their feet.

Tim stepped forward to knock first, rapping on the door authoritatively. Nothing happened, and he was just raising his fist to knock again when the door swung open to the quiet noise of a lock unlatching.

Nobody was standing behind the door. 

Casting tired glances at each other, Tim and Jason strode into the apartment. Joker might try his best to intimidate them, but at this point they were more annoyed than anything.

“Joker, come out from whatever hidey-hole you’re in and we won’t have to resort to force.” Jason growled, glaring around the room as if he expected the Joker to jump out of nowhere. The furniture around the room was draped in white cloth, fluttering slightly as if with a breeze. Still, there was no sign of the clown, and Tim began to doubt that he was even there to begin with.

“Jason, I think this might just be another dead end. There’s nothing here that would indicate that the Joker--”

Out of nowhere, something fired out of the wall and slammed into Jason’s side, making him stagger into Tim.

Tim stared in horror at the rapidly growing dark spot on Jason’s side. The bigger man pitched forward, one hand clutching his side, the other reaching out desperately for something to stop his fall. 

As if he was on autopilot, Tim found himself stepping forward and grabbing Jason’s hand. He stopped him from falling the entire way, with little help from the other man. When he managed to get Jason somewhat standing, the older man weaved back and forth on his feet. 

It took all of Tim’s patience to finagle Jason out the door, the bulkier vigilante not doing much in the way of helping. The second Tim managed to sling him across Redbird, he passed out.

_Great. Just perfect._ Not only did they not manage to catch or even find the Joker, but Jason was injured. This was going to go over well. 

As TIm went to climb on behind Jason, it seemed that he wasn’t breathing. Tim’s heart leapt in his mouth, and he quickly ripped off his glove to check Jason’s pulse. 

It was there, though faint and fluttering. Tim breathed a sigh of relief before turning his bike in the direction of the Cave, praying he could get there fast enough.

~~*~~

Tim stared blankly at Jason’s bare chest, at the matching wolf curled around his collarbone. Around his arm, Tim’s wolf felt warm, as if it was matching Jason’s fever. 

At least Jason was still breathing. Still alive. That was more than enough. He would heal; the man had come back from death. This was nothing. He had to be okay. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Tim remembered bits and snatches, but it all blurred together. Jason, on the cot. Getting paler as his bandages turned darker. The heartbeat monitor beginning to stutter as Jason’s breathing slowed. Dick pulling Tim into his side as Bruce hunched over the prone figure on the cot. 

“Is… Is he going to be okay?”

**Author's Note:**

> ...and then he--


End file.
